My Heart Will Go On
by StarryHeaven
Summary: Oneshot set after the main storyline. A promise he made... but never kept. In the wake of Luke's disappearance,Tear realizes something very important.


She can't remember when the love started. She only knows that it's never stopped.

Tear knows she never lost hope that Luke might just come back. But her resolve was slowly disappearing. Year after year, Luke didn't come back, and she would lose a little more faith every time.  
When days turned into weeks, she would think, _only another week. _When another month ended, she would think, _he'll come home in the spring_. And later, _he'll come home in the summer._ Year after year, she would sit at the same mossy rock in Tataroo Valley, singing her haunting melody, the Fonic Hymn. Over and over again, she would sing, pouring out all her emotions she kept held in into the one song, willing Luke to come home. It seemed there was no way to shake Tear's strong belief that Luke would come home.

Guy doesn't know what to do; he can only stand by and watch as Tear becomes thinner and thinner every day, turning into a wisp of a ghost right in front of him. He doesn't know what to do. He's tried numerous methods- coaxing, pleading, reasoning, and even begging. Nothing he does can get Tear to eat. Whenever he puts the spoonful of food to her mouth, she only leaves the table. And every time, Guy would wonder just how much longer Luke was going to take getting home.

Natalia can't blame Asch-no, Luke. She knows that Luke is gone. He was gone the minute the bright light lit up Auldrant and the ground shook with the energy of Lorelei, freed at last. And with all the work that was to be done, how could she spend time fretting over small things? Her day was spent doing duties- visiting the areas where the villages were rebuilding, overseeing the creation of the new Order. Her spare time was used to write the story of the journey, using Luke's diary, notes, and mostly her and her companions' memories. She knows in her mind that Luke is gone, but her heart won't accept it.

Jade either spends his days on the new models of the Tartarus, testing the agility of the new warships, or stays in the research lab researching seventh fonons. He gets occasional visits from Peony, but there's not much to talk about, other than the condition of the very fat rappigs. He still jokes about the rappigs, and Peony still jokes about Jade not being able to let go of research and fomicry. Only Jade knows that he started doing fomicry again to try to block out Luke's death.

Anise bounces down the hallway to start another day. Today, there was supposed to be a big meeting about the New Order, as everyone was calling it, for lack of a better name. As Fon Master, Anise was expected to attend. As she skips down the hallway, she thinks about how much easier it would have been if Ion was still here. She wouldn't have a big stack of paperwork on her desk, nor would she be working late hours writing official documents. But it was her fault she procrastinated. All of this would have been easier, she mused, if she had a patron. It wasn't that there wasn't a patron asking to support the new Order; it was that the patron Anise was waiting for never returned. Even after he promised.

Noelle wiped down the windshield of the Albiore with a rag, lost in thought. She had a list of things to do, which was quickly multiplying into a monstrous list of chores. One of them involved getting in contact with Tear. She had gotten a letter from Guy, saying that he and the others were worried about Tear: she wouldn't eat, and only occasionally drank. She mostly sat in her dark room or sat on the rock in Tataroo Valley, singing, just singing, pouring her heart out into her songs. Guy wanted to know if she could check up on Tear and make sure she was alright. Noelle hoisted herself onto the front of the Albiore and started polishing the passenger's side of the window, daydreaming about the last time she was with Tear, Guy, Natalia, Jade, Anise, Ion, Mieu, and Luke.

Luke...

Noelle froze in mid-swipe, and the rag tumbled out of her hands and landed on the ground. She took off her aviation goggles and sighed heavily, putting her hands in her face. What would she tell Tear? She didn't know what to say. She only wished that there was a way to alleviate the fonist's pain.

On the day of Luke's coming of age ceremony, a large crowd of people gathered in the manor to celebrate Luke's life. Natalia went over the list one more time in her head. Everyone was present, except Guy and Tear.

After the ceremony, Natalia slipped away from the party and made her way to where Noelle, Jade and Anise were already waiting. During the entire flight, no one said a word, each lost in their own thoughts. The Albiore landed on the soft grass of Tataroo Valley, and as the small party filed out, they could smell the freshwater smell of the waterfall mixed with the faintly salty smell of the ocean air. In the distance, they could see the ruins, a reminder of the price paid for peace. Tear sat on a pale rock, gazing at the bright, full moon. As everyone gathered behind her, she began to sing. The clear melody of the Fonic Hymn filled the night sky as the selenia flowers bloomed, infusing the air with a fragrant, sweet smell. Afterwards, no one spoke, each silently reflecting. As the night grew later, they left, one by one, until Tear was the only one left sitting in the silent field. As the rest of the group piled into the Albiore, they heard the clear, haunting melody of the Fonic Hymn yet again.

The next day, Tear walks through the streets of Baticul, wandering aimlessly, when she hears a shout. She turns to where everyone is pointing, and sees that a child has fallen from a wagon and was about to get run over by an unsuspecting horse and carriage. Tear quickly runs into the street, holding her staff up to warn the carriage driver, and scoops the child up. The carriage thunders towards her, and it looks like she and the child are about to get run over. At the last second, however, the driver sees the fonist and the child and pulls on the reins. The horse and carriage stop an inch away from them. Tear stands, still hunched over, protectively holding the child in her arms, waiting for the worst. After a while, she opens her eyes and sees that the danger has passed. It is then that she takes a deep breath and moves out of the way. The marketgoers whisper among themselves.

"_That was fast thinking."_

"_She could have been killed!"_

"_What was she thinking?"_

The anxious mother makes her way up to Tear and thanks her repeatedly, taking the child into her arms. It was then that Tear notices. The child's eyes are emerald green, just like Luke's. The same innocent, childlike gestures. The mother notices Tear staring, and proudly states, "His name is Lucas, in honor of the late young duke. Because of him, the world is at peace. We will forever be grateful."

Lucas squirms in his mother's arms, and on an instinct, Tear reaches for him. His mother hands him to Tear, and he settles comfortably in her arms. He looks up at Tear and grins, and Tear feels her heart stop, because it's Luke's smile that she sees.  
Tear now knows that Luke was never really gone. As long as people remembered him, as long as she remembered him, his legacy would continue to live on. 

She can't remember when the love started, but she knows that it will last for eternity. 


End file.
